Thanks for stopping by Refresh with Dawn Herring. I hope you enjoy browsing through the postings and get to know me a bit better.
I'm Dawn Herring, host of #JournalChat Live and Links Edition for all things journaling on Twitter and Facebook. I'm also a writer and artist focused on refreshment, journaling, and positive change. Email me at refreshwithdawnherring@gmail.com with any questions or comments you may have. Thanks and enjoy your stay!

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Gifts. Some of them leave a lasting impression. You know the kind. The ones you remember from childhood. And when you recall them, the memory still gives you pleasure, almost as if it was happening all over again.

I remember some Christmases that stand out to me:

when Donny and Marie Osmond were on prime time with their variety show, Mom got me the Donny and Marie stage set with dolls, microphones, and even Donny's purple socks! I played with that set for hours. Since I loved to sing as a child, I loved to pretend I was Marie singing "Paper Roses" and "I'm a Little Bit Country".

Then there was the year when Mom got me my first boom box, which is what they called cassette players that had speakers and built in radio with antennae. That was one of The Best Gifts she bought me, since I played my cassettes a million times over, whether it was Michael Jackson, Christian Artist Sandy Patti, or Amy Grant (plus a host of other artist). (That repetition is now coming back to haunt me now that I have Radio Disney songs playing down the hall from my office on repeat...;))

Aaaah, gifts from Christmases past. They linger in the memory like the sweet aroma that embraces when the cookies are baking.

But, you know, there is a gift you really can't put a price on that presents itself all year long. Not just at the holidays.

The gift of Time. That precious commodity of which we never seem to have enough. But when someone gives you the gift of time, it is often unexpected. Like when you sit at the dinner table and end up having a heart to heart talk with a family member. Or you go on errands together, and as you drive down the road, you spill your hearts out to each other. Or you see the sunset and take the time to sit and enjoy the view...together.

Then there are the times when you deliberately take the time to say hello to someone, email a friend, or check out someone's blog post or Facebook post or Twitter link. You reach out to a new friend or encourage someone by posting a encouraging or thought-provoking comment about what they shared.

For those of you who have sent me an email or dropped by my blog post to read and leave a lovely comment or RT one of my links on Twitter or respond in kindness and humor to my Facebook posts, I thank you. I thank you for the Gift of your time. I thank you for choosing to get to know me, to follow my Twitter posts, and friend me on Facebook.

I appreciate every single one of you. You often put a smile of my face, a spring in my step, and a bit of sunshine in my heart.

Accountability: to give a reckoning or explanation for one’s actions, responsible.

When most people think of accountability, they often negatively associate it with answering to others, such as a spouse, a friend, a mentor, or, in most cases, a boss. As a writer, you are your own boss, which is one of the reasons that you need to be accountable to yourself. And it can be a positive experience rather than a negative one.

The first step in being accountable to yourself as a writer is setting goals for your writing and keeping track of projects you want to finish. Incurring a deadline for yourself can help

motivate you in this area. This step can also include daily writing goals. Some authors plan how many words or pages per day they will write.

I’ve set goals for myself as a writer by making them reachable and attainable. This year I have set a goal to write at least one scene for my novel per week and at least one other piece,

whether it be memoir or essay, per week. That can mean just making notes, writing a first draft, or revising a draft.

As long as your goals keep you moving forward and you’re making progress, then you know you’re headed in the right direction.

Once you have your goals set, the next step in accountability to yourself is writing down what you accomplish each day. You can use a daily calendar just for writing or keep track of your

daily accomplishments on your computer. I designed a custom monthly writing calendar. It helps me track what I write daily, whether or not I’ve met my goal for the week, and it has

space for ideas for future writing pieces. I also have a spot to keep track of books I’m reading for that month. I use abbreviations to keep the daily writing easier and to save space. As I review each completed month, I can go back to see what I’ve accomplished and keep track of when I wrote each piece.

Whether you use something pre-made or customize something for yourself, use whatever works for you and helps you stay accountable to yourself.

A third, and perhaps most important, aspect in accountability in your writing is taking care of yourself as a writer. Than can mean giving yourself space and not being hard on yourself if

you don’t reach your goals each day or each week.

Flexibility and refreshment are paramount to your health as a writer. It also frees up your creativity and can actually help you produce more quality writing in the long run.

I enjoy writing in my journal, reading fiction or memoir, and watching a good movie with my family. Taking a walk, listening to music, talking with your family members, and just taking time to sit and enjoy life are all ways you can be good to

yourself—and ultimately accountable—as a writer.

Learn to celebrate your accomplishments and your uniqueness as a writer. That’s one of the best ways to be accountable—to yourself!

A 21 Day Refresh Intensive E-Course!

Dawn is now offering a 21 Day Refresh Intensive Course that enables you to Activate Your Intuition, Honor Your Preferences and Listen to Your Life Messages. It is available for purchase as a downloadable PDF so you can take it any time for your refreshment!

About Me

Dawn is a watercolor and collage artist, writer, Host of #JournalChat Live and Creative and Social Media Consultant. She enjoys sharing insights, humor, and encouragement as she shares from her life experiences. She enjoys keeping a journal and reading spiritual texts to help keep the light on. Hope you enjoy perusing the blog posts and in the process, get to know her a bit better. Enjoy your stay!

Follow by Email

Follow Me On Pinterest!

My Website: www.dawnherring.net

You can check out my website: www.dawnherring.net. There you will find info on my writing services, my bio and journaling resources and my book, The Birthday Wall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child. Enjoy your stay!

#JournalChat Live on Twitter

#JournalChat Live is on the First Sunday of each month at 4 EST/1 PST on Twitter. Check out my new blog to sign up for Refresh Journal which will give you all the details!

Refresh Sessions Now Available!

If you desire to discover what Your Authentic Refreshment might be so you can enhance and benefit your life, you'll welcome to purchase a 30 minute Refresh Session with Dawn **by phone or Skype, initiating the discovery process toward Your Authentic Refreshment. (A 30 Minute Refresh Session is $75.)

PLEASE NOTE: REFRESH SESSIONS BY PHONE/SKYPE ARE CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE; REFRESH SESSIONS ARE NOW AVAILABLE BY AND THROUGH EMAIL.

My eBook: The Birthday Wall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child

I'm so excited to share with you my new ebook, The Birthday Wall: Create a Collage to Celebrate Your Child.

The Birthday Wall is my detailed, step-by-step instructional book that shows how to create a multi-dimensional, colorful visual collage to help celebrate your child's Birthday. As creator of this family tradition, I share how to research, plan, gather, create and display all the elements of your child's birthday wall which can help affirm, validate, and show appreciation for your child.

Follow this link which takes you to the Parent to Parent page of HSLDA's Home School Court Report. In their Sept/Oct 2009 edition and on this page, My reason for Homeschooling has been published under Dawn H. You're welcome to check it out!